Matthew 21
The Temple and the Fig Tree
"My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers." (Matthew 21:13)
Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey. Crowds spread cloaks and branches. Hosanna. And then He went directly to the temple and drove out everyone who was buying and selling. Tables overturned. Chairs of the dove sellers scattered.
This is not gentle Jesus. This is furious Jesus. The place where God was supposed to be encountered had been turned into a marketplace. And He couldn’t leave it like that.
Then He cursed a fig tree that had leaves but no fruit. It withered immediately. And the disciples were amazed. Jesus said: if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can say to this mountain, throw yourself into the sea, and it will happen.
The fig tree is a picture of what just happened in the temple. Impressive from a distance. Leaves and activity and the appearance of life. But when you get close and look for fruit, there’s nothing there.
I’ve had to ask myself that question about my own faith and ministry. Does it have leaves? Yes. Does it have fruit? That’s the harder question. The appearance of spiritual activity is not the same as the actual presence of spiritual fruit.
